One Week
by DarkKnight6
Summary: A 7-part piece focused on the chaotic triangle of Amy, Ephram, and Colin. An EA for those interested. Takes place after episode 13. Epilogue is up.
1. Saturday

Author's Note – As with all the other writers here at fanfiction.net, I do not own the rights to _Everwood__ or its characters. Not yet anyway._

**ONE WEEK**

**_SATURDAY_**

Ephram woke up to the obnoxious ringing of his alarm clock. _Saturday morning…thank god. Slowly pulling himself into a sitting position, Ephram lifted his sheets and quickly inspected them. __No dreams about Amy last night. Another miracle. Getting out of his bed, Ephram trudged awkwardly downstairs to the kitchen. _

            "Morning, sleepy-head. Good to know you've decided to get up before the weekend is over," Andy grinned, his head perched just above copy of the _Denver Post he was reading. _

            A slight grin formed on Ephram's face as he grabbed a bowl and the box of Kellogg's _Pops_ on the counter. "Is Delia up?" 

            "'Was up an hour ago. She grabbed a pop tart and ran to the den to watch cartoons," Andy answered, his eyes returning to the newspaper. "So what do you have planned today?"

            "Colin invited me to go fly-fishing with him and Bright this afternoon," Ephram answered through mouthfuls of cereal.

            "I didn't know Colin fly-fished."

            "Neither did he. He doesn't remember a thing about it. He didn't want to be the only inexperienced fly fisher there, so he invited me to go with them."

            "Is that Abott girl gonna be there?" A smirk flashed on Andy's face.

            Ephram laughed. "Doubt it. Not like it matters now anyway."

            Andy set the newspaper down on the counter and looked at Ephram with one of his 'knowing' looks. "Look, I know things between you and Amy have probably been strained a little what with Colin back and all, but I'm sure she could still use a friend like you."

            "Heh. I might've thought so too. But she and I had a talk about it a few nights ago. She doesn't need my friendship. She doesn't want anything to do with me anymore," Ephram answered, setting his bowl in the sink. "I'm gonna go read a couple comics." 

            Andy stared as his son left the kitchen. _Your son is hurting, Great Dr. Brown. You're a healer, aren't you? Well you're going to have to find a way to heal your son's pains._

****

"I've got a gift for you," Amy chirped, a wide grin on her face. "It's downstairs. I'll be right back."

            Colin nodded and continued to look around Amy's room. His eyes scanned past the Grover doll, old photos of the two of them, but nothing seemed to bring back memories. Walking over to her CD collection, Colin reached for one of them - a band he had no recollection of. He didn't remember any of these bands. His hands met with the fifth CD case in the collection. Lifting it up, he slowly looked at it, slightly confused. 

            "Amy," he read on the cover, the bright neon letters arrayed diagonally across the jewel case. 

            Footsteps sounded and Amy clamored into the room. "Did you say something?" 

            "Uh…yeah. This CD... is there a new pop singer named Amy or did you make this?" Colin innocently asked, holding up the CD with his good hand. 

            Pain mixed with fear shot through Amy's eyes.

            "I…um…a friend…made it for me," Amy muttered, slurring the last few words together. She was utterly terrified of telling him the truth.

            "Cool," Colin nodded. "Mind if I…?" Colin asked, pointing to the mini-stereo with the CD still clutched in his hand.

            "Uh…no, go ahead…" Amy answered, afraid of what Colin would say if she didn't let him.

            Colin popped the CD into the stereo and returned his attention back to Amy. 

            Trying to get his attention away from the music, Amy held up the gift with both hands. "I got old photos from everyone at school and put them together in this album. I thought it might help you remember." 

            "Wow. Thanks Grover," Colin smiled, taking a seat on her bed.

            Amy shivered for a quick second, having not heard that name in a while. "You're welcome." She sat down next to him and flipped open the album. 

            "When was that?" Colin asked, pointing to the first picture.

            "That was your birthday party last year. See? There you are with the adorable paper birthday hat Bright strapped to your head." Amy giggled. "And that's the cake frosting you smeared on my face when I mentioned you that you only cut one slice – the one you were eating." 

            Colin laughed at the thought, but couldn't remember a thing about it. A glimpse of the music rang in his ears. _But love heals everything…we're no exception…you mean everything to me…_

            Colin gave Amy a confused look. He new that his former self wasn't that computer savvy, so he couldn't have made the CD. "Who made this for you?"

            Amy glanced down for a second before looking back at Colin, still unsure what she was going to tell him.

****

Bright dumped the rods and equipment by a large rock near the river. "I'm gonna go to the fishing store and get some bait," Bright mumbled, pointing to the little wooden shop their truck was parked by.

As Bright left, Ephram started fidgeting with his rod. "So how's life going with you?"

Colin looked up from the copy of Fly-Fishing for Dummies he was reading. "Okay I guess. Still don't remember a thing though. The docs say the chances of me remembering are slim but possible. At least they're optimistic." Colin shut the book and glanced at Ephram. "How about you? How's life for the great Ephram Brown?"

"Me? Still getting adjusted to the hundreds of people at school that suddenly call me "E" after ignoring me for months upon months. Other than that I'm good," Ephram answered, whisking his rod back and forth. 

            "Then we're both adjusting to the crowds of people. They all expect me to be who I was before. Only problem is, I still don't know who that is."

            Ephram set down his rod and felt sorrow for Colin.

"You know what the worst part is? I feel like a newborn hermit crab." Colin got out the photo album from and opened it up, scanning across the pictures of so many unfamiliar faces. 

A quizzical look flashed across Ephram's face. "A hermit crab…" he repeated to himself, still not sure what Colin was trying to tell him.

            "See, everyone's in love with the past me – my shell. Only problem is, the past me inside that shell decided to go out for a joyride and left the shell, never to return. Here I am – the new occupant inside the shell. Only problem is, everyone still sees the shell – the ghost of the past me. They don't see me," Colin explained painfully as he continued to look over the old photo album of lost memories. 

            Ephram laughed, trying to make the best of the situation. "Oh come on. You've woken up after four months from an endless coma. As you rediscover your world you find yourself surrounded by hundreds of people that love you. You've got your best friend Bright serving at your very whim, and the prettiest girl in town completely devoted to you." Ephram tried to hide is own anger. "I'd say things are as great as ever for you."

            Colin turned to face him, a serious and saddened expression on his face. "Amy's not in love with _me_. She's in love with him." Colin pointed to the happy picture of Colin smiling broadly at his birthday. "She just can't admit it yet."

Ephram just stared at Colin for what seemed like several minutes, unsure what to say to him.

****

**Preview of_ Sunday_**

            "A few months ago we were on a field trip to the silver mines. He asked me if we would become strangers once Colin came back. I promised him that would never happen. I broke that promise," Amy confessed. 

            "Well then I think the best thing you can do is apologize and make things right again, because the only thing I know is that you seemed happier when _before Colin woke up, before you knew about his amnesia, before you learned that the man you loved isn't there. And if your relationship with this new guy was the source of all that now-lost happiness, then you have got to get that friendship back," Edna soothingly replied, doing anything she could to comfort her granddaughter. _

            "I doubt I'll be able to do that. After how I've treated him lately and what I've said to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he never spoke to me again. How can I apologize to him now?"

            "Well you could start by talking to him. He's sitting right there, Grover." Edna pointed to the lone guy seated at the counter sipping lemonade with the stack of comic books as his only companion. 


	2. Sunday

Author's Note – Sorry this chapter is so long, guys. I would've made cuts but I didn't feel like chopping up my story.

****

**_Sunday_**

            The sun seemed to stretch its gallant arms of light across the small town of Everwood every morning, painting a clear and beautiful portrait of a little slice of heaven. Not this morning, however. A dark tide of fog seemed to eerily swoop through Everwood, and the sun was no where to be seen through the giant grey blanket of clouds looming over the town. 

Andy noticed this as he grabbed the morning paper, fearing the worst was coming – a snowstorm. Walking back inside, Andy made sure the door was shot behind him to keep the precious warmth inside from escaping. Setting the newspaper on the table, Andy considered making some breakfast for his meager family. The sudden image of his kids being sent to the hospital for food poisoning broke this consideration. That and the shock from Delia jumping onto his back. 

"Morning honey," Andy chuckled, adjusting his back for the extra body hanging on him. "We're going out for breakfast after church this morning."

"Yay!" Delia cried in relief from the knowledge her dad wouldn't be cooking their breakfast.

"I'd love to give you a ride all day, but someone needs to wake Ephram up. You guys have twenty minutes to get ready."

Delia jumped off of his back and ran upstairs. Slowly and quietly opening the door to Ephram's room, Delia's eyes scanned Ephram's bed but didn't find anyone. Taking a few steps into the room, Delia ran her eyes back and forth looking for her brother. Just as she was about to yell his name, something jumped from the closet and grabbed her from behind. Pinning her to the bed, her older brother slowly brought his arms down.

"Can't run now…" Ephram laughed, his charming grin creeping across his face.

"No, not that!" Delia yelled in horror as she valiantly tried to escape his arms. In an instant her brother started tickling her. "No! Stop please!" Delia gasped through forced giggles.

Grinning, Ephram got up and let his sister go. "Good morning to you too, Del. I think you've had enough torture. Go get ready."

An adorable smile glued to her face, Delia ran off to her room. Ephram, who had already gotten dressed, went downstairs.

"Couldn't stop yourself from giving her the tickle treatment, eh?" Andy asked.

"Of course not," Ephram casually responded, getting a drink of orange juice.

Laughing, Andy marched up the stairs to get ready. Ephram put the carton of juice back into the fridge and looked out the window, stealing a glance of the dark scenery. _Good to know that not every__ morning in Everwood is perfect._

****

Dr. Andy Brown packed the medical equipment back into his bag and stood up to face Nina. This was the second house call today, but Andy didn't mind this one as much. Nina's was his neighbor, making the trip pretty quick. 

"Well, it looks like Sam's got the flu that's going all around town. I left the medicine for Sam on the counter. Just give him lots of liquids and make sure he gets lots of rest. He should be up and about in a few days. In the meantime, I suggest you be careful. Wouldn't want you catching that flu, too," Andy reported, patting Sam on the head.

Nina smiled warmly and patted Sam on the back, sending him off to go play. "I can't thank you enough, Andy. Dr. Abbott never did house calls."

"Well actually I also came here for some help, Nina."

Nina pointed to a seat at one end of the table and took the one opposite of him. "Okay, what do ya need?"

"I've got a problem. See, Ephram likes this girl. Though she's been playing a game of cat and mouse with my son, she's also got a boyfriend. This boyfriend wants to be Ephram's friend. Now this girl wants to cut off any close ties with Ephram. Ephram's hurt, I can tell. He's been putting on a brave face, trying to pretend nothing's bothering him. Now my limited parenting skills can point out he's in a world of hurt. I just don't know how to help him though."

Nina first looked overwhelmed by all this, but accepted it with another warm smile. "Wow, and I thought Sam screaming in hissy fit about not getting a cookie was a big parenting problem, but this? I'm impressed, Andy. You're coping pretty well."

"What do you think I should do, Nina? I want to help my son. I just don't know how."

            "Welcome to the world of parenting, Andy. You aren't gonna be able to have solutions to every problem that comes up, especially when you're dealing with a teenager. And this problem with Amy? Just another bump in the road -"

            "He told you about Amy?" Andy asked, shocked.

            Nina grinned. "The day of Colin's operation. He needed advice." 

            "It took two months of trying to bond with him in this town just for me to figure out he liked Amy," Andy laughed.

            "Anyways, he's a teenager Andy, and there are going to be rough times in his life no matter how hard you try to help. It'll pass. Until then, all you can do is just continue being the great father you're trying to be. I'll talk to him sometime," Nina calmly offered, trying to reassure her neighbor.

            "Thanks Nina." 

****

            Storming down the cold streets of Everwood at nightfall, Ephram began to wonder why he was freezing his butt out there. _Oh yeah. I had to get out of the house. Couldn't stand dad constantly glaring at me every time I entered a room, constantly asking me if I was ok. _Not sure where his random movement took him, Ephram found himself standing in front of Mama Joy's Diner. Shrugging, Ephram walked in. 

            Taking a seat at the counter, Ephram pulled a stack of comic books from his bag and set them on the counter. A voice caught his ear before he could read one.

            "'Evening, Ephram. What can I get for ya?" Nina asked in a cheerful manner.

            "Uh…a lemonade would be great," Ephram muttered, his attention more focused on the glossy covers of this month's manga import. 

            A puzzled look crept on Nina's face. "Lemonade? On a night like this?" 

            Ephram nodded, his eyes returning to the first page. 

            Setting the glace of lemonade by Ephram, careful not to let it spill on his precious comic books, Nina set both hands on the counter. 

            "Anything you wanna talk about?" Nina asked, still unsure of how to get the boy's attention.

            "If you wanted to ask me about what's going on, you could've just said so. I know by now my dad's probably asked you for help already," Ephram replied, a smirk on his face as he took a sip of lemonade.

            Nina laughed. "Ok, Ephram, ya caught me. So you feel like telling me about what's bothering you?"

            Setting down his comic book, Ephram finally made eye contact with Nina. "Ok, sure. The thing is, I feel guilty. I had somewhat of an argument with Amy a few nights ago. I was laying a little more sarcasm into the conversation than I should have. She was trying to be serious, because she was obviously afraid that I might tell Colin that she kissed m– scratch that. Anyways, she asked what I could possibly have in common with Mr. Perfect, and I reacted pretty badly. I mean, she was right. In her eyes I probably _don't have anything in common with the most perfect guy in her universe. She tried to take it back, but I told her to leave. I was jerk. I even sarcastically threatened to tell Colin if he asked," Ephram let out, speaking in one of his faster voices. _

            "Guilty? Ephram, she hurt your feelings. She said some things she couldn't have meant, and after how I hear she's been treating you lately, you had every right to be angry with her at that point."

            "Amy was the first person that welcomed me to Everwood. The first friend I made here, and the only person I really care about in this whole town. She went through four months of emotional trauma when the one guy she loves is in a coma. He finally wakes up, but has no memory of her. She's afraid she might've lost the guy she loves, and she's got no one to explain her pain to. Putting up with me for the past few months probably added to the stress in her mind, and when she gets caught in a trap where she's forced to cut our friendship, I snap at her." Ephram gave a light bitter laugh. "You know, I was the one that told her to back to Colin. I got angry at the results of something I told her to do." 

            "Ephram, listen to me. I know she filled that enormously crack in your life that started to form when your mom died, but you need to know something." Staring at the youth with absolute serious, Nina continued, "You filled the gaps in her life. And she probably knows that. And I'm pretty sure that deep inside she still really does carry about you, but just doesn't know what to do. Either way, I think you should talk to her. She's been sitting over there playing board games with her grandparents all night." Nina pointed at the happy trio playing a game of _Risk_. 

            Ephram smiled weakly but shook his head. "No, I don't think so. She and I still aren't talking and I think she's happier that way."         

            Nina gave another one of her concerned looks but nodded and got back to wiping the counter. "Just remember, Ephram. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

****

 "She won again!" Irv jokingly threw the dice down as he stood up and stretched.

            Edna roared with laughter from her mighty victory at the war of _Risk. "What can I say, Irv? You never play military games with a war veteran and expect to win. You know, you should never have surrendered Venezuela to me. You might've been able to keep North America a little longer if you'd diverted more troops to that territory."_

            "Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna go get the poker cards and chips from the truck. I know I can beat you at that game," Irv grumpily mumbled, leaving the diner.

            Edna gave her granddaughter a curious look while the two were packing up the game pieces. "You okay, Grover?"

            A fake smile flashed on Amy's face. "Yeah I'm fine, grandma. Why do you ask?" 

            "Now look, kiddo. You know I love it when you play games with me and your grandpops, but shouldn't you be out with your boyfriend?" Edna asked.

            Amy gave her a serious look. "Don't tell anyone, but I needed a night away from all that kind of chaos in my life."

            "And I thought you'd be happy by Hart's return. What's wrong?"

            "I don't know. Everything's just really…_different_ from what I'd imagined of his awakening," Amy whispered. 

            "Look, I know these are hard times for you, Grover. But you know you've got lots of friends to help you through this, don't you?" 

            Amy rolled her eyes. "There would be one friend I'd normally go to for help, but after the way I've treated him for….I'd say just about forever, I don't think I can go to him anymore." 

            Edna set the _Risk _box under the table and stared straight at Amy with concerned eyes, wanting to help her precious granddaughter any way she could. Amy took a long sip of hot chocolate.

"A few months ago we were on a field trip to the silver mines. He asked me if we would become strangers once Colin came back. I promised him that would never happen. I broke that promise," Amy confessed. "He was always there for me, never once questioning what I was doing. He's been supportive of my waiting for Colin to wake up from the beginning, not caring about his own personal costs. I first met him hoping he would be the key to waking Colin up. Now, after all this time, after all the good he's done for me and the pain I've given in return, I made a stupid mistake that cost me one of the most miraculous friendships I've had in my entire life." A few tears rolled down Amy's face.

            "Well then I think the best thing you can do is apologize and make things right again, because the only thing I know is that you seemed happier when _before Colin woke up, before you knew about his amnesia, before you learned that the man you loved isn't there. And if your relationship with this new guy was the source of all that now-lost happiness, then you have got to get that friendship back," Edna soothingly replied, doing anything she could to comfort her granddaughter. _

            "I doubt I'll be able to do that. After how I've treated him lately and what I've said to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he never spoke to me again. How can I apologize to him now?"

            "Well you could start by talking to him. He's sitting right there, Grover." Edna pointed to the lone guy seated at the counter sipping lemonade with the stack of comic books as his only companion. 

            "You knew it was Ephram?" Amy asked in confusion.

            Her grandmother smiled as best any tough military nurse could smile. "These eyes may be old, but there's not much they don't see." 

            Amy smiled sadly and spun her mug around in circles, still not sure what to do. One thing she did know – she couldn't talk to him tonight.

**Preview of _Monday_**

            Harold Abbott burst into Mama Joy's Diner, exhausted and out of breath. Setting his scarf on the counter, Harold's high pitched whistle got the attention of every person in the diner. 

            "I just received a call from my wife. There's a serious blizzard headed our way. I've been told to inform as many people as possible. Everyone needs to get home as soon as possible. Irv already as the bus warmed up and is taking all the little ones to their homes. If you don't have any emergency preparations such as food, winter blankets, and equipment, get to the Town Hall immediately and pick up the pre-made kits they've got for you there. I urge you to stay in your homes until the blizzard clears. Stay off the streets and inform anyone that you pass on your way home about the blizzard. You've a few hours before the first flakes fall," Harold announced, trying to keep as much calmness in his voice as possible. "And please don't panic. Everything will be fine, just don't go outside until the blizzard passes."  

            Fear flashed through many of the faces in Mama Joy's, including the great Dr. Brown's. 


	3. Monday

Author's Note – Thanks for all the positive reviews. I love reading what you guys think of the story, so review as many times as you want. A few parts were cut out of this chapter to keep its length within reason. Hope you're enjoying my writing. If not, as Edna would say, "Tough tamales." :-D

****

**_Monday_**

Delia eagerly waited as the bus arrived. The doors slid open, and Delia's smile was already glowing. 

"Good morning, Delia. What's got you so perky today?" Irv asked with the friendly charm he always had about him.

"'Morning, Mr. Irv. I'm happy 'cause the weatherman said we were going to get a little bit of snow today," Delia answered, stepping onto the bus.

Irv nodded, rubbing his arm. "Oh, my bones have been aching all morning. I'm pretty sure we're in for plenty of snow." 

This made Delia even happier as she took an empty seat and glared out the window, just waiting for the snow to start.

****

            Ephram Brown set threw his English book into his backpack and shut is locker with a loud bang. 

            "Whoah, Brown, there are easier ways to vent rage, most of which wouldn't require damaging school property," Wendell joked, walking up to Ephram.

            His usual scowl planted on his face, Ephram slung the backpack over his right shoulder and turned away, walking towards his English class. "I'm not venting rage."

            Wendell sarcastically nodded. "Right, and that slam was just your way of greeting your locker 'good morning.'"

            "Shuddup, Wendell," Ephram muttered, storming away from his bizarre friend.

            Colin turned away from his conversation with Bright and Amy when he saw Ephram coming. "Uh hey, Ephram."

            "Hey," Ephram replied. Stopping for a split second, Ephram made eye contact with Amy. 

For that split second Amy looked straight into Ephram's eyes. In those eyes Amy saw the true tortured soul of Ephram on the inside, caught in a ceaseless fire of suffering. Ephram turned his face away and continued walking.

            Colin looked confused by how his new friend was acting lately. "Weird…"

            Amy sadly looked down, the only one knowing why Ephram was so bitter.

            "So like I was saying before the freak showed up, I hear we're in for some pretty heavy snow," Bright announced.

            "Cool…" Colin replied, obviously not paying attention to bright, but more watching Ephram march away. 

****

            Andy Brown set his heavy coat down on the counter of Mama Joy's Diner. Next came his thick scarf, bulky gloves, and warm hat. 

            Nina laughed and poured him a steaming mug of coffee. "Easy, Andy. It's a dining counter, not a walk-in closet."

            Andy gratefully accepted the mug and took a deep long sip before opening his mouth. "I noticed both of your coat racks are full. Now noticing the fact that Mama Joy's is stuffed full of people, I can see why." 

            Nina nodded playfully. "On cold days like this Everwood's patrons just spend their whole days here, sucking Mama Joy dry of warm beverages. 

            "Today _is unusually cold. In fact, Everwood's never been this cold the whole I've been here," Andy remarked through long sips of coffee._

            Edna pulled up a seat by Andy and nodded in agreement. "That old quack for a weatherman predicts some heavy snow tonight. Judging by how much Irv was complaining about his aching bones, I'm thinking the weather guy's right."

            Handing Edna a mug of coffee, Nina turned around and pulled a handkerchief in front of her nose and sneezed loudly.  

            Dr. Brown looked up from the menu and raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound too good, Nina." 

            "I know. I think I'm coming down with that little monster's cold," Nina grouchily responded. 

            Edna threw her own menu down. "You should be taking the day off and getting some rest before you endanger the rest of this thankless platoon you've got down here."

            Nina sneezed again. "No, the diner's shorthanded today and this has been one of the busiest days of the season. Besides, I already hired a babysitter to be watching over my sick son for the rest of the day. I'll be fine."

            Just then, Dr. Harold Abbott burst into Mama Joy's Diner, exhausted and out of breath. Setting his scarf on the counter beside Andy's, Harold's high pitched whistle got the attention of every person in the diner. 

            "Why don't you just bring in seventy-piece symphony to get our attention, junior?" Edna sarcastically asked, rubbing her ears from the blazing whistle.           

            Harold turned to Edna with the usual grouchy expression glued to his face. "Not now, mother…" Harold then turned to the rest of the people cramped in the small diner. 

"Listen up you bunch of crazy neanderthals, I'll make this quick. I just received a call from my wife. There's a serious blizzard headed our way. I've been told to inform as many people as possible. Everyone needs to get home as soon as possible. Irv already has the school bus warmed up and is taking all the little ones to their homes. If you don't have any emergency preparations such as food, winter blankets, and equipment, get to Town Hall immediately and pick up the pre-made kits they've got for you there. She urges you to stay in your homes until the blizzard clears. Stay off the streets and inform anyone that you pass on your way home about the blizzard. You've a few hours before the first flakes fall." Trying to keep his voice wavering from anxiety, Harold continued. "And please don't panic. Everything will be fine; just don't go outside until the blizzard passes. That is all." With that Harold grabbed his scarf and abruptly left the diner. 

            Edna looked puzzled. "That's odd. Everwood's never had a formal warning from the town council about a little blizzard before." 

            Glancing at the weather reports on the TV mounted to the wall, Nina turned back to Edna. "Maybe this one's bigger than anyone Everwood's ever had."    

            Andy set down his mug of coffee. "I'm gonna go pick Ephram up from school. Edna, you obviously have the day off. Thanks for the coffee, Nina." With that, the great Dr. Brown joined the masses of people leaving Mama Joy's Diner.

****

            Colin glared through the window of Bright's truck, still hopeful of triggering any memories of this forgotten little town. The ride to Colin's house was a quiet one, but neither Bright nor Amy could figure out a way to get Colin to open up to them. Colin noticed this and figured someone had to break the silence.   

            "The snows starting to fall," Colin whispered, watching as the grey clouds began swallowing Everwood with darkness. 

            Bright chuckled. "Dude, I doubt this blizzard's going to be _that bad. Right Amy?" Bright didn't hear a response. "Amy? MISSION CONTROL TO MS. PERFECT SKIN" _

            Amy, who seemed lost in tide of thought, shook her head and returned to reality. "Huh? Yeah, sure Bright." 

            Colin lightly nudged Amy with his good elbow. "You all right?"

            Amy smiled one of her picture-perfect smiles. "Absolutely." 

            Suddenly Bright sneezed, his hands still on the wheel. The truck slightly swerved and Bright hit the brakes. After sliding on the somewhat slippery road, the truck finally came to a stop.

            "Sorry," Bright mumbled, taking a deep breath.

Colin blinked a few times and then turned to Amy, making sure she was ok. Turning back to Bright, Colin smiled. "You know, you should get these brakes checked." 

            Continuing their drive without a hitch, the snow continued to sprinkle gently over Everwood. 

The truck finally came to a stop at Colin's driveway. "Thanks for the ride, Bright." Turning to Amy, Colin grabbed her hand with his own animate one. "I'll see you later, Amy." Kissing her on the cheek, Colin grabbed his bag and shut the door. 

            The truck drove off, leaving Colin gazing up into the massive pool of grays where the sky should have been. 

****

            The car coming to a stop, Ephram turned to his hand and smiled. "Thanks for picking me up." 

            Andy returned the smile but shook his head. "Don't thank me. I should've been doing stuff like this when you were younger."

            The two got out of the car and pulled Ephram's bike out of the trunk. The two set the bike down and Ephram started looking around.

            "Looks like the blizzard arrived a little early," Andy yelled as the meager amount of snow that had begun falling began to turn into giant sheets of snow. 

            Ephram nodded and looked at the Brown's house, seeing how much of it was already covered in snow. "Uh…duck!" 

            Andy spun around and felt an impact against his chest just as his son ducked down. Delia popped out of a nearby bush screeching with laughter, clad in a heavy winter coat, scarf, gloves, earmuffs, boots, and hat.

            Ephram laughed and got back up. "Would've warned you sooner, but I couldn't resist the chance of watching you get pegged by my little sister." 

            Andy grinned and rubbed the snow off of his coat. "Your pitching arm is getting better, honey." 

            Just as Ephram was about to walk back to the house, he felt his dad tackle him into the snow. "Oof!" 

            The two wrestled in the snow for a few seconds, Delia laughing the whole way through. Ephram, not wanting his sister to be left out, grabbed her leg and pushed her into the soft snow too. The three continued to wrestle and wriggle around in the snow, each one trying to get an advantage over the other. 

When the three realized that in the end the blizzard was the winner, having poured wave after wave of snow onto them, they went back inside, crowding around the fireplace to get warmed up. Sitting around the fire sipping hot chocolate with his son and daughter, Andy Brown found it was moments like these that told him his family was going to be all right without Julia. 

**Preview of _Tuesday_**

            Amy clutched her cup of tea as she looked out the window. "The snow's never come down this hard, Bright."

            "Relax, Amy. I'm sure mom and dad are fine," Bright countered, turning on the TV.

            "Bright, they didn't come home last night. Aren't you worried?" Amy asked, slightly unnerved by Bright's easy-going attitude towards this town emergency.

            Her older brother threw the remote down onto the couch and stretched. "Did you try calling Town Hall?" 

            "Well if you were listening to me half an hour ago instead of watching _Sponge Bob, you would've heard me say that the phone's dead because one of the phone lines fell over from all this wind and snow," Amy responded in an annoyed tone. "And I can't find my cell phone either." _

            Bright flopped back on the couch. "I'm sure they're fine."

Amy stood in front of Bright, blocking his view of the TV. "I think we should go look for them." 


	4. Tuesday

Author's Notes – Thank you all for your positive reviews and comments and please keep them coming. I'd actually only written the first three chapters and part of the fourth a few days ago and figured I'd wait before starting on the last four, just to see if the reaction from the readers was going to be good. Because of your great comments, I decided early this morning to write the last four remaining chapters. And so I present to you, 

****

**_Tuesday_**

Amy clutched her cup of tea as she looked out the window. "The snow's never come down this hard, Bright."

            "Relax, Amy. I'm sure mom and dad are fine," Bright countered, turning on the TV.

            "Bright, they didn't come home last night. Aren't you worried?" Amy asked, slightly unnerved by Bright's easy-going attitude towards this town emergency.

            Her older brother threw the remote down onto the couch and stretched. "Did you try calling Town Hall?" 

            "Well if you were listening to me half an hour ago instead of watching _Sponge Bob, you would've heard me say that the phone's dead because one of the phone lines fell over from all this wind and snow," Amy responded in an annoyed tone. "And I can't find my cell phone either." _

            Bright flopped back onto the couch. "I'm sure they're fine."

Amy stood in front of Bright, blocking his view of the TV. "I think we should go look for them." 

"Amy, come on. It's a weekday morning, we don't have school, and mom and dad aren't home to keep us in line. As far as I'm concerned, we're better off not wasting our time looking for them."

Amy's hands dropped to her sides as she struggled to keep her cool. "Bright, all of town is in panic with the roads unusable, the phones not working, and the snowstorm of the century wreaking havoc all over the town! We have to look for them, Bright."

"Ok, ok. Lemme get my coat and the keys to the truck…" Bright whined. 

****

            Harold Abbott tried once again to knock over the door by ramming into it. Doing more damage to his shoulder than the door, Dr. Abbott gave up and kicked an office recycling container down.

            "Give it up, Harold. That's the third time you've nearly given yourself a concussion from hitting the door and it hasn't budged an inch," Rose calmly lectured, rapidly flipping through her phone book.

            Rubbing his shoulder, Harold bitterly sat on one of the office desks and crossed his arms. "Now if we'd just left this place when I said so, we wouldn't have been caught here overnight," sourly remarked his thumb pointing at himself.

            "Look on the bright side, dear. At least we've got plenty of supplies," Rose sarcastically responded.      

            Harold had visited rose the previous night to convince her to come home before the snow made the streets unusable. Putting her job ahead of her own personal needs, Rose opted to stay at the Town Hall a "little longer" to make sure everyone that needed emergency supplies could get them. Losing track of time, the two decided to leave the building at a quarter to ten at night. The doors were frozen shut and the two were forced to brave the night in the town hall. 

            "Now explain to me again why you're not in a hurry to leave?" Harold asked impatiently.

            Throwing down her phone book, Rose rubbed her forehead for a few seconds before responding. "I've told you a dozen times, Harold. Even if we could get out of here and get to the car, those roads would be unbearable for any sane driver." Rose set her cell phone down on her desk and cradled her face in her cold hands. "I've called just about every phone in Everwood. All the phone lines are dead."

            Harold walked over to his wife and grabbed his wife's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "We'll be all right."

            "It's not us I'm worried about, Harold. I'm worried about our children." 

****

            Colin searched the house looking for the ringing phone. After four rings he finally found the ringing cellphone, tucked underneath a couch cushion. 

            "Hello?" Colin asked, bringing the cellphone up to his left ear. 

            "Colin?" Amy's familiar voice chirped out.

            Colin glanced out the window. "Yeah. Looks like this blizzard turned out to be bigger than we expected."

            "Listen, I don't have much time. My cell phone battery is dying and every time I try to call my mom's cell phone, I get busy signals. If my parents call you asking where Bright and I are, tell them we've gone looking for them."

            Colin shook his head, slightly confused. "Wait, you and Bright are out driving in this crazy blizzard? I think you guys should turn around and head home, I mean Bright's brakes are starting to get a little faulty and the roads are really icy and there's no visibility out there."

            "Don't worry, Colin. We'll be fine. I just need to—" 

            Colin listened in terror as he heard the combination of Amy's scream mixed with Bright's loud cursing and the long loud whine of the brakes being hit. Colin nearly dropped the phone when he heard the loud smash, slowly followed by another loud smash. 

            "Amy? Amy!" Colin yelled through the phone. 

****

Dr. Andy Brown grabbed his medical bag from the rack and turned to Ephram and Delia. "I'm going next-door to Nina's. Both Nina and her son are sick with the flu and I wanna make sure they're all right. Ephram, take care of your sister. I should be back in ten minutes."  

            His two kids nodded and response and returned their attention to the weather report on TV. According to the weatherman, the snow wasn't going to letup any time soon. Gripping his bag tightly, Andy left the house and began the long march to the house next door.

            Moments later Ephram heard a light whine that slowly died out as the TV flickered off and the lights went off. 

"What just happened?" Delia yelled.

"I…I think the town just lost power…" Ephram slowly answered, crawling over to the nearest heater vent. "Looks like the heater's off." 

Delia cloaked herself in a thick blanket and walked over to Ephram. "Now what do we do?"

Ephram checked the clock on the wall. "Almost nine. I think we should get ready to brave a very cold night. Go change into your thickest pajamas and see if you can go to sleep a little early tonight. I'm going to stay down here and wait for dad."           

Delia nodded and ran upstairs. Ephram rubbed his hands together and threw another log into the slowly dying fire in the fireplace. A few minutes later the cellphone in the kitchen started ringing. Glancing at the number on the small screen, Ephram tried to remember who it was. _Nina's cellphone._

"Hello?"

"Ephram, it's me. Listen, Nina and Sam are in no condition to brave this night alone. I'm going to stay here tonight and take care of them. I'd bring them to our place but this flu is very contagious. Make sure your sister is in bed by ten and stay warm. I should be back tomorrow morning."

"Okay. Good night," Ephram answered. Turning off the phone, Ephram chuckled. _These things are pretty handy in disasters like this. _

Suddenly the doorbell rang. _Who could be out at this hour, let alone any hour? Opening the door, Ephram saw Colin in a thick coat, completely mummified in snow._

"Colin…get in," Ephram yelled over the screaming winds outside. 

 Ephram shut the door just seconds after Colin walked in. 

Wiping snow off of his face, Colin turned to face Ephram. "It's Amy. She and Bright – they called me ten minutes ago. Were looking for their parents… they – they hit something."

"Whoah, you're not making any sense," Ephram responded, trying to picture what Colin was saying. 

"Amy and Bright were out driving looking for their parents. I was on the phone with Amy when they got into an accident. I tried calling her cellphone again but her battery died out. We've got to go find them!" Colin sputtered, speaking as fast as his shivering lips would let him.

Ephram nodded and turned to grab his coat but stopped suddenly. "We have to look for them tomorrow." 

Colin looked stunned. "What? I…we have to find them now! They could die out there if the don't find shelter!"

Ephram opened the curtains of one of the windows. "Under normal circumstances I would be out there with a torch leading the way to finding Amy and Bright, but I can't. Neither can you." Setting his coat down, Ephram regretted what he was about to say, not wanting to follow his own words either but knew there was no other choice. "Think rationally, Colin. It's almost nine. The weatherman said this blizzard isn't going to stop any time soon, definitely not tonight. The power in the whole town is out which means the street lights are all dead. Even if there were lights, all the snow makes seeing anything out there virtually impossible. And to top it all, my dad's not going to be in the house tonight which means I have to look after my little sister."

Colin nodded in agreement and collapsed on the couch in shock over what was happening in the place that could once have been called a little slice of heaven. 

"Where are your parents?" Ephram asked, taking a seat in front of the fire. 

Colin rubbed snow off of his arm sling. "They called me this afternoon. They're stuck at Gino Chang's Italian-Chinese restaurant. They went out for lunch yesterday afternoon and have been stuck there ever since because of the blizzard." 

Ephram rubbed his eyes. "You're crashing here tonight. Tomorrow morning I'll leave a note for my dad and sister. We'll head out and look for Amy and Bright first thing in the morning."

Colin nodded again and the two remained absolutely silent the rest of the night. Both caught with worry, grief, and fear for what might be discovered the next day. 

****

**Preview of** **_Wednesday _**

"What time is it?" Bright weakly asked, shivering repeatedly.

Amy struggled to speak through chattering teeth. "F-Fa-Four in the morning…"

The two sat at weird angles in the truck flipped over on its side. They had hit a power line. Bright had turned and hit the brakes a second too late, causing the truck to flip over onto its left side. The giant wooden log appeared more like a white beast through Amy's window, the power lines waving around like tentacles. In seconds, it had fallen over and smashed into Amy's door, blocking their only logical exit. During the two's unconsciousness, the icy snow formed a thick sheet of ice over the windshield, disabling that exit. Now, trapped in the truck for what seemed like an eternity, the two siblings struggled to stay warm.

Bright moved over to where Amy sat and tried once more to push open the door but found it simply impossible. The door was wedged shut by the gigantic slab of wood and would not give a single centimeter. 

"Forget it, Bright. That's the fourth time you've tried. It's shut for good," Amy whispered, her skin starting to pale from coldness.

Bright rubbed his hands on the sides of Amy's arms to get some heat into her. "We're going to get out of here, Amy. Now listen, I'm your big brother and I won't let anything happen to you. We're going to get out. I promise." 


	5. Wednesday

Author's Note: Sorry for the pause in updates. A hefty schedule combined with a need to rewrite the remaining three chapters forced me to prolong my usual fast updates. This chapter was a lot longer than I had intended, but once again I didn't feel like cutting it. And so I present to you…

**_Wednesday_**

What time is it?" Bright weakly asked, shivering repeatedly.

Amy struggled to speak through chattering teeth. "F-Fa-Four in the morning…"

The two sat at weird angles in the truck flipped over on its side. They had hit a power line. Bright had turned and hit the brakes a second too late, causing the truck to flip over onto its left side. The giant wooden log appeared more like a white beast through Amy's window, the power lines waving around like tentacles. In seconds, it had fallen over and smashed into Amy's door, blocking their only logical exit. During the two's unconsciousness, the icy snow formed a thick sheet of ice over the windshield, disabling that exit. Now, trapped in the truck for what seemed like an eternity, the two siblings struggled to stay warm.

Bright moved over to where Amy sat and tried once more to push open the door but found it simply impossible. The door was wedged shut by the gigantic slab of wood and would not give a single centimeter. 

"Forget it, Bright. That's the fourth time you've tried. It's shut for good," Amy whispered, her skin starting to pale from coldness.

Bright rubbed his hands on the sides of Amy's arms to get some heat into her. "We're going to get out of here, Amy. Now listen, I'm your big brother and I won't let anything happen to you. We're going to get out. I promise." 

Amy closed her eyes and nodded.

****

Ephram rubbed his hands together and clasped the satchel of equipment he packed.  Looking around, Ephram finally noticed something was missing. Walking over to the couch, Ephram threw a spare pillow into Colin's face.

"Geddup, Colin. We have to look for Amy and you're drooling all over the couch," Ephram whispered, cautious not to wake up Delia.  

Colin snorted twice in response and kept his eyes shut. Turning over onto his side, his snores began to continue.

Ephram chuckled, grabbed the couch, and tilted it at an angle. Colin hit the floor with a loud thud. 

Colin moaned and blinked a few times before opening his eyes. "Okay…I'm up…what time is it?"

"Five-thirty." 

"And you couldn't wait twenty minutes?" Colin joked, rubbing his eyes.

Ephram grinned and shook his head. "Come on. I've already written the note for my dad and packed up all the stuff we'll need in here." Ephram tapped the satchel twice.

"All right, just gimme five minutes to splash some water on my face," Colin mumbled, trudging towards the bathroom.

            Ephram nodded again and walked upstairs. Slowly opening the door to Delia's room a few inches, Ephram poked his had inside to check on his little sister. The little angel was sound asleep in her bed. Ephram walked over to the bed and pulled the many layers of blankets over her slightly shivering body and smiled. 

            "What's going on?" Delia's voice rang out, startling Ephram.

            "You're awake?"

            Delia opened her eyes and smiled at her older brother. "I heard a big thump downstairs." 

            Ephram nodded. "That was my attempt at waking Colin up."

            "Is that the creepy guy that was sleeping in our couch all night?"

            "How'd you know he was here all night?" Ephram responded.

            Delia yawned, her eyes starting to close again. "I went downstairs for a drink of water this morning. Saw some guy snoring in our couch."

            Ephram lightly laughed. "Yeah, that's Colin." Ephram sat down on his sister's bed. "Me and Colin have to go look for someone. I want you to stay in the house and keep warm. Dad's still at Nina's and the power's still not back yet. I need you to be a brave girl." 

            Delia nodded and slowly began to drift back to sleep. "Okay. Just be safe and find Amy soon."

            Ephram raised an eyebrow in confusion and stood up, turning towards the door. "My little sister's one of the most intuitive little girls in this world."

****

            Dr. Andy Brown zipped his backpack shut and yawned. The night was a long and cold one – caring for two people for a whole freezing night without lights and power had physically drained Andy. 

            "Well, I think I'm done here. You and Sam are doing much better. Just take it easy and try to stay warm. If you need anything, I'm right next door. I'll be back this afternoon to check on you two," Andy muttered, dark rings of exhaustion beginning to form around his eyes.

Nina smiled and watched Andy pack-up his equipment. She had noticed so many things about him over the night that she had never noticed of before. Maybe because her subconscious didn't want her to. The image of her husband flashed briefly in Nina's mind. "I can't thank you enough, Andy. You really didn't have to do this. You're only my doctor."

Andy turned his head to face Nina and returned the smile. "No, I'm also your friend." Andy shrugged the backpack over one shoulder. "I'll be back later this afternoon."

"Bye, Andy."

Andy opened the door. "Bye, Nina."

****

            Edna tossed another log into the fireplace as Irv put his hat and coat on. 

            "I've got to clear some of those roads. There's got to be a lot of people stuck in various parts of town," Irv muttered, slipping his gloves on.

            Edna rubbed her hands together by the fire. "Leave it to the only plow in Everwood to brave it out there on a morning like this. Need a wingman?"  

            Irv shook his head. "No, you just stay here and keep warm." 

            With that, Irv Harper grabbed his keys, stepped into his boots, and left the house. 

****

Ephram stared out the passenger window of Colin's truck and shivered, waiting for the heater to come on. "I need to tell you something. It's about me and Amy."

Colin's eyes stayed focused on the road. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, you've got to keep your eyes out for Amy and Bright."

"But -"

Colin lifted his dead right arm to silence Ephram. "It's hard enough trying to drive without one arm, especially since I haven't driven much since the accident, unless you count rehab. We'll talk about it later."

Sighing, Ephram nodded. "You know, to be on the safe side, maybe I should drive then…"

Colin shook his head. "No, I got it. You just watch out for Bright and Amy." 

Ephram turned his eyes back to the window and wiped away the condensation that had formed on the glass from his heavy sigh. It was going to be difficult spotting with this heavy snow. 

"Stop! I think I see them!" Ephram yelled, pointing to the other truck tipped over on the side of the road. 

Colin brought the truck to a stop and looked through Ephram's window. "Yeah that's Bright's truck."

Ephram winced and focused his eyes the best he could through the snow. "Looks like it hit a power pole. The truck's on its side and the pole is on top of it. The pole's wedged the door shut!" Ephram jumped out of the truck with Colin hot on his heels

Amy stared hopelessly at the shattered passenger window. The creeping fingers of hypothermia began to reach for both her and Bright. Closing her eyes, Amy did what those of such desperate times did – pray. 

Bright tapped his sister shivering shoulder. Amy's eyes opened instantly. Someone was trying to move the powerful. 

"It's Colin!" Amy yelled, staring at the snow-covered figure lifting the end of the pole up.

Bright smiled, his whole body screaming in anticipation for freedom from this metal coffin. Pushing the pole away with both arms, the figure slowly moved towards the door.

            "Amy, look away from the door. The window might shatter if he opens it too quickly…" Bright shivered, pulling his sister away from her door.

            A few seconds later, a loud tug was heard and the door cracked open. Amy looked up and scanned for the identity of her and Bright's savior. 

            "Colin!" Amy yelled again, jumping out of the truck and leaping into Colin's open arm. 

****

****

****

            Amy smiled as she watched Delia's dangling feet swing back and forth as the two sat silent in the living room of the Brown's house. Dr. Brown had just finished with Amy's check-up and was now in the next room with Bright. Aside from a minor frostbite and a slight touch of hypothermia, Amy was fine. Colin fell asleep on the couch in the den, and Ephram was sitting out on the porch alone, watching the snow in solitude.

            Suddenly, Delia looked up. "What was it like? Being stuck in the truck for so long…"

            Amy's mind wandered back painfully to recapture the past several hours. "You know that instant chill you get when you get thrown into the snow without any notice?"

            Delia nodded.

            "It's kind of like that, except not so brief. The chill just kinda stays with you."

            Delia looked frightened and hugged herself to her blanket even tighter. "So what do you think of my brother?"

            Amy looked up. "Ephram?"

            "No, Frank Sinatra. Of course Ephram," Delia giggled.

            Amy laughed. _I guess Ephram's wit's been rubbing off on the girl. And she was so innocent too…_ "I think your brother's really nice and you're lucky to have him for a brother." 

            Delia smirked devilishly. "He likes you a lot, Amy…"

            Amy just smiled politely and looked out the window at Ephram sitting alone on the porch.

Andy Brown shut the door firmly behind him and took a seat next to Ephram on the porch. 

"How're Amy and Bright?" Ephram asked, watching the snow continue its merciless buildup on the roads.

"Amy had a touch of frostbite, but she's fine now. Bright was suffering from excessive exhaustion, but he resting well now.

Ephram nodded. "Good. Look, I'm sorry for leaving without telling you and abandoning Del -"

Andy held his gloved hand up to stop Ephram from continuing. "Don't. Don't apologize. I wanted to tell you that I'm really proud of you, Ephram. You braved it out there in this insane weather and put yourself at risk trying to find those two. As much as I'm angry at your carelessly leaving your sister alone to venture out into old man winter's wrath of a storm, I can't lecture you because Amy and Bright could very well have died if you weren't there." 

            The two exchanged smiles and Andy got up. "I'm going to go next door and check up on Nina. Don't stay out here too long." 

            As Andy trudged hastily to Nina's house, Amy stepped out onto the porch and stood to the left of where Ephram was sitting. 

            "I'm glad you're okay," Ephram muttered, looking up at Amy.

            Amy smirked and pointed to the seat by Ephram. "May I?"

            Ephram nodded and wiped the snow off of the seat. 

            Amy plopped down into the seat and turned to Ephram. "I want to thank you for what you did. You saved me and Bright's lives."  

****Ephram shook his head, returning his focus to the snow. "It was all Colin." 

            Amy lightly hit Ephram on the side of the arm. "Don't deny it. As much as I thought it was Colin, I quickly noticed that Colin couldn't have done it. The guy that moved the pole was using both arms. Colin's right arm is paralyzed." Amy smiled and moved slightly closer to Ephram. "Besides, I saw your footprints leading back to the truck. Why'd you try to make me think Colin saved us?"

            "I figured you'd probably think it was him instead of me anyway, so I moved the pole and went back to Colin's truck. He gave me a puzzled look and popped open your door." 

            Amy's smirk turned slightly sour. _Leave it to Ephram do go out of his way and do something like that. _

"So what were you doing out there, Amy?"

            Amy hugged herself to try to keep warm. "Bright and I were looking for our parents. They never came home on Monday night." 

            "I'm sure they're okay," Ephram responded, smiling to Amy for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

            Amy returned the smile and moved slightly closer to Ephram again. Somehow it was that smile and his optimistic tone that gave Amy all the reassurance she needed. 

****

**Preview of _Thursday_**

            Ephram marched firmly into his room and looked at Colin, who was seated on his bed reading a comic. "We need to talk."

            Colin smirked, not taking his eyes off of the comic. "Okay, just another five pages. Green Lantern's about to cream Sinestro…"

            Ephram snatched the comic book and set it down. "No, now."

            Colin looked slightly offended, but nodded. "What is it?"

            Ephram took a deep breath, his mind flashing across everything that had happened between him and Amy. Flashing back to the moment when he learned Colin was coming home. Flashing back to the moments when he and Colin had become good friends. Flashing back to the icy times of fear that would grip his soul, knowing that this moment was coming. Flashing back to the dark nights where he would find himself staring at his ceiling, creating thousands of different situations of telling Colin the secret without getting the crap beaten out of him. Flashing back to the moment when he promised Amy he wouldn't tell Colin. 


	6. Thursday

Author's Notes: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, so here's a long chapter as my apologies. Final Chapter coming soon. I appreciate all of your comments and reviews, please keep them coming.

****

**_Thursday_**

            Ephram marched firmly into his room and looked at Colin, who was seated on his bed reading a comic. "We need to talk."

            Colin smirked, not taking his eyes off of the comic. "Okay, just another five pages. Green Lantern's about to cream Sinestro…"

            Ephram snatched the comic book and set it down. "No, now."

            Colin looked slightly offended, but nodded. "What is it?"

            Ephram took a deep breath, his mind flashing across everything that had opened between him and Amy. Flashing back to the moments when he and Colin had become good friends. Flashing back to the icy moments of fear that would grip his soul, knowing that this moment was coming. Flashing back to the dark nights where he would find himself staring at his ceiling, creating thousands of different situations of telling Colin the secret without getting the crap beaten out of him. Flashing back to the moment when he promised Amy he wouldn't tell Colin…

            The sudden tugging at his arm woke Ephram. Blinking his eyes several times, Ephram turned his slowly focusing sight to his rescuer from the terrible dream.

            "What is it, Delia?"

            "It stopped snowing!"

            Ephram nodded and Delia left, scurrying excitedly down the stairs. _At least it wasn't a dream about Amy… _

Ephram looked down at the floor and saw Colin wasn't in his sleeping bag. The great Dr. Brown had decided it was best if Colin, Amy, and Bright stay for the night. Colin was bunking with Ephram, Amy was roommates with Delia, and Bright opted to camp out on the couch. 

            Unable to muster the energy to move his legs, Ephram "gracefully" fell off of his bed and met the hard cold floor. _Maybe I could just crawl downstairs…_Slowly standing up, Ephram walked out of his rooms and headed for the stairs – until his half-awake eyes failed to warn him about the person he was about to ram into. Bumping into Amy, who was leaving Delia's room, Ephram laughed and took a few steps back.

            "Sorry," he mumbled.

            Amy smiled at him. "No, it's my fault. I'm just as un-awake as you."

            Ephram continued to walk down the stairs, and Amy held back a bit, trying to throw away the first thought that had come to her mind – _god, he's cute even in the morning. _

****

            Andy Brown took a sip of coffee and smiled. _It's nice having a full house. _The power had returned and Colin was next to him flipping pancakes with his good arm. Bright and Delia were making a snowman in the backyard, Ephram was shoveling the snow off of the porch, and Amy was calling various families all over Everwood to make sure they were okay. _I could see her filling in her mother's shoes as mayor of this town that time forgot. _

            "How'd you learn to do that?" Andy asked, commenting on Colin's finesse of pancake flipping.

            "Part of my rehab," Colin joked.

            Andy grinned. "There are times I envy you for having that coma." 

            Colin turned the stove off and started to flip the pancakes onto plates. "So maybe you aren't the person I should be asking, but exactly how close were Ephram and Amy while I was the motionless drool-dispenser?"

            Andy snorted some coffee and coughed a few times. "You're right, you probably shouldn't be asking me…"

            Colin set the frying pan down and smirked. "Come on, doc. Be honest."

            Andy's face turned sour. "I suppose I might as well tell you since Ephram probably won't." Andy set his mug down and gave Colin a stern look. "My son cared a lot about Amy. In fact, I'd never seen him care so much about anyone before."

            Colin looked down, trying to hide his anger, though Andy could see right through his deception.

            "Now wait. Yes, Ephram liked Amy a lot. She became his only foothold in this miserable town and the only thing that kept him from jumping off a mountain or something. But you have nothing to worry about. It took Ephram a while, but he knows now. He understands that you're Amy's foothold. And my son's having a helluva time trying to move on but he's doing it. So before you do anything, just remember that Ephram is trying to put his feelings aside not only because of what Amy wants, but now because you're his friend."

            Colin set the platter of pancakes down on the table and nodded.

****

            Rose Abbott gave Irv Harper a warm hug and a sigh of relief. "Thank god you showed up, Irv. 

            Irv smiled. "No problem, Rose."

            Rose glanced at her husband Harold, who was warming up the car to go find their kids. "So Irv, how bad in shape are we?"

            A grave expression slipped over Irv's face. "I've managed to clear about a fifth of the roads. Progress was slow, but with this blizzard finally broken, I think plowing should go a lot faster."

            Rose nodded, somewhat relieved. "And the residents?"

            "A lot of people were stuck in various buildings on Main Street. Gino Chang's restaurant had to turn their tables into make-shift beds to accommodate. A few people are suffering from hypothermia, frostbite, exhaustion, etc. Minor injuries. Several windows in the houses were broken from the wind and frost, creating some pretty cold homes. The town's still for the most part without power, but a few places are getting it back. Our technicians have been dispatched on some of the roads I've cleared. Some plumbing and drainage systems are frozen over. Apparently Herb's Discount store has got a collapsed ceiling. And to top it off, the playground equipment at the elementary school has been turned into a giant mesh of shattered wood, metal and icy slush."

            Rose rubbed her forehead. _Thank god no one was seriously hurt._ A pair of warm hands rested on her shoulders, temporarily making all of her troubles seem to dissolve and fade away.

            "Let's go home, Rose," Dr. Harold Abbott calmly muttered.

****

            Amy Abbott walked around the Brown house. _How cute._ Amy grinned at the sight of Bright and Delia asleep on the couch, cartoons flashing vividly on the TV. Dr. Brown had taken Colin to go find his parents. Stepping out onto the front porch, Amy saw Ephram on the driveway and smiled. Ephram was making a valiant effort to shovel the snow but kept slipping on the thick sheet of ice completely engulfing the cement driveway.

            "Whoah!" Ephram yelled as he slipped and crashed hard onto the driveway.

            Amy laughed. _Now _that's_ cute. "That was graceful." _

            Ephram got up and chuckled, brushing snow off of the back of his legs. "Thanks."

            "Want some help?"

            Ephram shrugged. "Sure." 

            The two shoveled for a few seconds before Ephram playfully tossed some snow at Amy with his shovel. 

            "Hey!" Amy laughed, brushing snow off of her face. Ephram's hearty laugh was all she heard before getting revenge. Clutching a huge mound of snow with both hands, she smashed the mound into Ephram's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

            Ephram landed on the ground. Grinning playfully, Ephram gripped a handful of snow off of the ground and flung it at Amy. 

            Amy shrieked and giggled manically as she tackled Ephram into the snow.

****

Nina smiled and walked over to where Andy was standing on his porch. "Now there's one couple I've been waiting to see for too long." 

Andy shook his head. "Then I'm sorry to step on your cake, but you're going to have to keep waiting." Andy smiled at the innocence of the two teens still finding amusement in the snow. "They're just playing."

Nina took a seat by Andy and sighed. "That's a shame. Though you know Andy, you might wanna follow suit and move on. You shouldn't be alone forever."

Andy smirked bitterly, unable to do anymore. The thought of moving-on and taking the ring off was something Andy had thought about many nights. The thought honestly scared him.

****

            Amy set the cell phone on the counter. Ephram was to her left, stirring the pan of hot chocolate the way Amy made it.

            "Who was that?" Ephram asked, pouring the glazing brown liquid into two large mugs. 

            "My parents. They told me to thank your father for letting us stay here. They want me and Bright to stay here another night since the power's not back at my house. Apparently mom's leaving right now to get back to work. A lot of damage was done downtown. Your dad and Colin found his parents, and now your dad's with mine at the train station. A lot of the people that were stuck downtown got various injuries," Amy responded, out of breath.

            Ephram nearly dropped the steaming pan. "You're staying another night?"

            Amy looked slightly offended. "Not if you don't want me to…"

            Ephram shook his head and set the pan down. "No, I didn't mean it like that. Just a little surprised, that's all." 

            Amy smiled and grabbed one of the mugs. "Cheers."

            "Cheers." Ephram smirked, holding up his own mug.

****

            Dr. Andy Brown tied the sling firmly around Gino Chang's arm and shoulder. "Okay, Gino, that should do it. Let me know if that arm gives you any more trouble."

****Dr. Abbott burst into Andy's examining room as Gino left and grabbed a jar of cotton swabs from the table. Dr. Abbott was using the other examining room in the Train Station, figuring it was best to just have all the people that needed medical help to come to the one place downtown that could function without power. 

            "What happened to the cotton swabs in your examining room?" Andy asked.

            Harold's face turned sour. "A strange boy named Wendell just came in. Hurt his leg pretty badly. The windows at his house shattered from all the wind and he took about a dozen large shards of glass to the leg. There's a lot of bleeding."

            Andy grabbed another box of butterfly bandages and handed it to Dr. Abbott. "Need help?"

            Harold gripped the box of bandages and the jar of swabs with one arm. "No I can handle it." Harold turned and started waling out the door. "Besides, you annoy me enough as it is. I'd go mad if we were stuck in a room operating on the same patient."

            Andy grinned at his half-friend's remark and popped his head out the door for Edna. "Send the next one in. Oh and call my house with the cell phone, tell Ephram I'm not going to make it back tonight. I'll be doing house calls in a few hours. Have him make sure Delia will be in bed by 9."

            Edna grabbed the cell phone off of her desk and started dialing. 

****

            Colin knocked on the door of the Browns' house and rubbed his gloved hands together. Amy opened the door, and Ephram, Bright, and Delia were playing Clue in the background.  

            "Hey." Colin mumbled. "Can we talk?"

            Amy nodded and the two walked upstairs to Delia's room. "What is it?"

            Colin flashed a serious expression. "Do you love me?"

            Amy countered with a puzzled look. "Of course I do."

            Colin shook his head and grabbed one of her shoulders. "No, I mean do you love ME?"

            "What do you mean?"

            Colin sat down on Delia's bed. "See, I think you're saying you love me because I've got the face of the guy you loved six months ago. The thing is, I'm not him. Physically sure, but inside I couldn't be more different from him."

            Amy was on the verge of tears. "Wha-What are saying?"

            Colin looked away, angry at himself for what he was about to do. "I'm saying you should move one from me. The honest truth is that I can't let you love someone that's not there. And the old Colin just isn't here."

****A tear rolled down Amy's cheek. "No, I love you, Colin. My entire life for the past six months has been about you. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw you."

            Colin held up his hand. "Stop. Okay? Just stop. Deep down inside you know exactly what I mean, and after what I've just said, your heart had to have realized it was true." Colin grabbed her hand with his. "I like you a lot. You know that. I'm not doing this as some deceptive way of dumping you. I want what's best for you, and what's best for you is to move on."

            More tears rolled down Amy's cheeks. "Why-why are you saying this?"

            Colin bit the corner of his lip. "Because you met Ephram for a reason. I'm not sure what it was, but I know there was a reason – more than just waking me up from an eternal sleep. I think he was meant for you. And if so, then I can't interfere with fate."

            Colin kissed Amy one last time and stood up, ready to leave.

            Amy looked down at the floor, her legs dangling back and forth. "You're wrong. I was meant for you." 

            A tear slowly dripped down Colin's cheek as he left. He hated giving Amy up but new it was only for the better once time would pass. "Was." 

            Colin left a weeping Amy in Delia's room and shut the door behind him, walking down the stairs. Ephram stood at the foot of the stairs, slightly confused at why Colin was here. 

"Hey…" Ephram half-waved. 

Colin turned away and left the house. 

****

            Ephram kissed his sister's forehead and tucked her in. "Good night, Delia."

            "'Night Ephram…" Delia whispered, already falling asleep.

            Ephram turned to leave and saw Amy standing at the doorway, leaning against the frame of the door. " Hey."

            Amy crossed her arms and smiled politely. "Hey. She's so adorable."

            Ephram nodded. "Yeah." 

            Amy ran her hand through the side of her hair. "Listen, I want to thank you for putting up with me and Bright today."

            Ephram laughed lightly. "It was no problem. Thanks for making dinner. You ought to try-out for the part of Martha Stewart's successor," Ephram grinned, remembering the heavenly scent of the pie Amy baked.

            Amy laughed and the two walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

They skipped down the stairs. 

"Where's Bright?" Ephram looked around

"He fell asleep on the couch after _Friends."_

Ephram nodded. "What time is it?"

Amy rolled her sleeve up and glanced at her watch. "Few minutes to midnight."

Ephram looked surprised. "Wow. I was supposed to get Delia to bed almost three hours ago." 

Amy shrugged. "It's okay; school won't be open tomorrow anyway." Amy walked over to the piano and sat down at one end of the bench. "Play something for me?"

Ephram laughed and shook his head. "Don't think so."

Amy laughed. "Oh come on…"

Ephram reluctantly marched over to the piano and sat down by Amy, setting his fingers on the shining keys. In a few seconds, Ephram began Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_. 

Amy slowly felt hypnotized by the amazing skill Ephram was displaying. "I wish I could play like you."

Ephram stopped and looked at her. Swallowing, Ephram laid his right hand on top of hers and continued the song with his left. Gliding her hands across the piano, his fingers moved her fingers, keying the three-note patterns the right hand part had in _Moonlight Sonata. _

Ephram smiled. "You can." The piece ended and his hand was still holding onto hers. 

Amy looked into his eyes and kissed him. Their hands left the piano and held each other. Ephram opened his eyes for a brief second. Out of the corner of his eye, the clock struck midnight.

**No Preview for Friday **(Sorry, but this will keep the suspense on high.)           


	7. Friday

Author's Notes: Thanks to all of you for your support and patience as I got adjusted to all this. Your positive feedback really helped and I'm glad some of you liked the story. I've got plenty of ideas for future stories, but all of that depends on the comments I get for this last chapter. So enjoy **_Friday_**, and please share your thoughts!

****

**_Friday_**

Amy shifted uncomfortably to the right - suddenly tense as her eyes fell on the clock at the other end of the room. 12:10. Suddenly, she pulled away from Ephram's arms. 

****"I-I can't do this…" 

            Ephram sourly looked down.  

****Amy adjusted a lock of her hair and turned away. "It's not you…I just…I can't do this right now…"

            Ephram shook his head and started to walk upstairs. "Nothing new…"

            Amy tailed after him. "Ephram, wait…" She clutched the sleeve of his shirt.

            Ephram aggressively pulled away from her grip. "No. I'm through waiting." His eyes burned with scorn. "You lure me into thinking I might have a chance with you, and then you rip away and treat me like crap for week, barely exchanging glances across the hallway as if I'd done something wrong. Then you do it again. And again. I've had enough. You won't give up on Colin, that's fair. But toying with me in the process?" Ephram stomped upstairs and darted into his room, slamming the door behind him.

            Amy's legs collapsed on her and she slid against the wall of the staircase, hitting the floor with a thud. Her hands cupping her face, Amy quietly whimpered. What Ephram had said was true. 

****

            Andy, wary to be as silent as possible, slowly closed the door behind him. The lights were still on but the house was quite. Almost. Seated on the third step of the staircase, Amy Abbott sat lightly crying, hands cupping face. 

            "Ephram's cooking was _that_ bad?" Andy asked, trying to get a smile on her face.

            Amy chuckled lightly, rubbing tears out of her eyes. "No, not that."

            Andy sat down by Amy. "Homesick?"

            Amy shook her head. "Not even a bit."

            Andy rubbed his tired eyes. "He kissed you, didn't he?"

            Amy shook her head again and pointed to herself with her thumb. "I kissed him."

            Andy stared blank for a second, dazed at what he'd just heard. "Okay…um…why?

            Amy shrugged, cupping her face in her hands again. "I…I don't know. I asked him to play the piano for me. He started showing me how to play the piano. One thing led to another, and I kissed him."

            Andy rolled his eyes, trying _not_ to picture her description. "And now you're sad. Is that it?"

            Amy glanced away from Andy's open but prying eyes. "I pulled away – again."

            Andy shrugged. "You feared you were betraying Colin. That's natural."

            Amy kept her eyes away from Andy. "No, not that. Colin…Colin broke up with me this afternoon." Amy tried to regain her composure as another wave of emotional pain washed over her. "I-I pulled away because things were happening too quickly. Massive blizzard hits Everwood, my parents disappear, I get trapped overnight in a truck, I get rescued, I'm rushed here for you to examine me, spend most of a day on the phone searching for my parents, finally contact my parents…" Amy took a deep breath before continuing. "Got dumped by Colin, spent the afternoon in tears, kiss Ephram, pull away from him, and receive the long-coming wrath of his frustration towards me."

            Andy nodded. "Rapid series of traumatic events over a short period of time can push your mental stability to its limits."

            Amy finally made eye contact with Dr. Brown. "You must think I'm horrible for toying with your son."

            Andy smiled and shook his head. "You're not toying with him. You've just spent the last few months in utter confusion, not sure what to do. It's natural for you to do something and take it back an instant later."

            "Dr. Brown, you have to know that I like your son very much. I really do. Every time I'm with him, all my problems seem to dissolve. And I would like nothing more than to be with him. But right now, I just…I'm not ready yet." 

            Andy gave her a knowing nod. "Then you're better off telling him that."

****

            Rose Abbott opened the door and smiled warmly as she exchanged greetings with the crowd coming in for dinner. Edna and Irv, back from a day's worth of plowing. Nina Feeney and her little Sam. Dr. Brown and his daughter Delia. 

            As you took Andy's coat, she noticed someone was missing. "Where's your son?"

            Andy grabbed his daughter's coat and wiped snow off of it before hanging it. "He didn't feel like coming." 

            Sharon Hart, Colin's mom, set the last setting on the table and joined the crowd. "What a shame. I'm sure Colin would have enjoyed his company." 

            Andy walked into the kitchen and set the pie he brought down on the counter. "'Evening, Harold."

            Dr. Abbott, apparently swiping a bite from one of the platters, nearly spat the food in his mouth when he saw Andy. "Y-you? You're here! In my kitchen!"

            Rose playfully punched Harold in the arm. "Be nice, Harold. You know we owe Dr. Brown a serious debt of gratitude for rescuing our children and taking care of them for three days."

            Andy shook his head. "Honestly, they were no trouble at all. Colin included." Andy added, spotting James Hart walking in with a bottle of scotch.

            Andy glanced at Delia, who was helping Amy fold napkins. Colin and Bright were watching _Samurai Jack_ in the other room, Bright's deep giddy laughter echoing through the house. 

            Edna joined Amy in folding the napkins for the dinner. Delia had already gotten bored and was watching cartoons with Bright and Colin. "I hear you were stationed at the Brown's house for the past few days."

            "Yeah."

            "Well?" Edna grinned devilishly.

            Amy gave a blank glance back. "Nothing happened." 

            Edna patted her treasured granddaughter's back. "Did you want something to?"

            Amy gave a wary nod. 

            Edna felt sorry for the teen. Looking around she knew it wasn't right. "You shouldn't be here. You know that. Go on, find him."  

            Amy looked around. Though everything seemed so happy, so peaceful, it wasn't right. Because _she_ wasn't happy or peaceful. Things needed to be fixed. 

            Amy started to answer Edna. "O-Okay…I'm gonna…tell mom and dad-"

            Edna stopped her and grabbed her shaking hands. "Don't worry about it, Grover. I'll take care of it. You just do what you think is right."

            Amy grabbed her coat and ran out of the house, determined to make things right.

****

Ephram stood alone on the porch, staring up at the midnight sky, half-hoping to see the "big guy" in all his might and glory. Ephram swallowed hard, gathering his thoughts.

            "I never had a father until recently. You took my mom to your 'grand kingdom' up above almost a year ago. And since then I thought I'd never be happy again - until six months ago. That's when I met her. That's when for the first time in an eternity, I saw the glass as half-full. I met her, and the pain from mom's absence wasn't quite so strong. Things just weren't so hard. I had a reason to belong here in this town you brought us to." Ephram's voice wavered slightly as he tried to hold back his mixed frustration and pain. "So why did I meet her? Huh? Was it just coincidence that our fates crossed? Did you bring me to this town so I could have my dad bring Colin back?" Ephram's legs collapsed and he stood on his knees, still staring up. His breath grew faster. "Please. I've got to know. Why did I meet her? Now-now I've got a dead mom, a trying but clueless father, a sister that needs a mom. I'm in love with a girl who was in love with a guy in a coma, who's now free of that commitment and yet I still can't be with her. I know that you never promised a life on this world full of joy. I know that life is never going to be an endless line of happiness. But how long am I supposed to harbor all this pain?" Ephram shut his eyes, trying to retain his emotional composure. "I always thought that if you really existed, there'd be something gained from all these obstacles – that maybe for once your 'grace' would make things good. Not an enduring 'great.' Just good."

            A voice solemnly echoed out from behind him. "Maybe he did. Maybe he sent me here." 

            Ephram turned around, trying to focus his tear-filled eyes. "Amy?"

            Amy pressed two fingers to his lips to silence him and replaced the fingers with her lips, her arms grabbing onto him. The two held each other for several seconds, feeling they could do it forever. Ephram was the first to pull away.

             "I don't understand." 

            Amy smiled cupping his hand with both of hers. "You don't need to. You've been the sure one since we met. I think it's my turn." She wiped the last tear out of his eye and kissed him again.

            Ephram nodded, grinning. They continued to embrace each other, the moonlight illuminating their figures standing on the porch. Both were truly happy for the first time in an eternity. The clock struck twelve and the end of the week arrived. 

**THE END**


	8. Epilogue

Author's Note: Even now, a year after I wrote it, One Week stands as my favorite among my Everwood fanfics. After being overly-consumed by "The Longest Day" and the massive depression in this season of Everwood, I felt like writing something with a lighter touch to it.

**_Epilogue: A Year After One Week _**

Amy stalked the aisles of the drug store looking for him. _Where did he go? This store isn't that big…_ Suddenly, two arms slipped around her waist as she felt familiar lips kiss her neck.

            Amy smiled brightly and turned around. "I thought I'd lost you."

            Ephram flashed a grin. "Never." Ephram pulled two bouquets of flowers from the plastic bag sitting by his feet. "Had to run across the street to pick up the flowers."

            Amy smirked and smelled both bouquets. "Good choices. But why two?"

            Ephram held out the second bouquet, filled with white roses, to Amy. "Did you really think I'd be caught coming back from a fruity, colorful flower shop without getting you something?"

            "I don't deserve you," Amy whispered in Ephram's ear as she hugged him.

            "No you don't," Ephram joked back. "So did you get what you were looking for?" 

            Amy nodded, holding up the package of Twizzlers and a couple Sprites. "You were expecting something else?"

            Ephram chuckled. "So let me get this straight: **I** had to go to the flower shop while you bought junk food?"

            "I've got better taste in candy," Amy giggled.

            "Fair enough." Ephram walked over to the cashier and glanced at his name tag. "Hi…Tommy."

            The youthful man ignored Ephram's friendly gesture and scanned their items. "Three-fifty." 

            Ephram silently paid, grabbed the bag and walked out the door. Amy took another glance at the cashier and quickly followed.

            Ephram rolled his eyes and opened the car door for Amy. "What was his problem?"

            Amy shrugged. "No clue."

            The two shared the twizzlers and soda in Ephram's car. They weren't in a hurry to go anywhere. Being together was the only thing on their to-do lists. Very little mattered outside of those boundaries.

            Amy placed her hand in Ephram's. "Thanks for coming with me today."

            Ephram shrugged. "Hey, I owed ya for offering to take that part-time nanny job my dad's been trying to fill. That last one was a total bitch."

            Amy smirked. "Madison? She seemed really nice-"

            "-for the daughter of Satan," Ephram hastily cut in.

            Amy laughed. "Well I was happy take the job. Gives me an excuse to hang around your house more often." 

            As Ephram started the car, Amy glanced out the window and saw Laynie walking into the drug store with a yellow slip of paper. _Looks like one of those drug prescription papers dad and Aunt Linda hand out. _"Hey it's Laynie." 

            Ephram paused. "You wanna go say hi?"

            Amy lightly shook her head and looked forward. "No, it's okay. I'm here with you. My number one."

            Ephram smiled and nodded, driving down the street. "So what do you think of my dad dating your aunt?"

            "I think it's great. They seem good for each other, though it's kind of weird to think about. I mean, if they get married, you and I will be cousins."

            Ephram tried to suppress a shudder and returned his focus to the steering wheel. "Heh, yeah."

            Eventually he parked by the cemetery and pulled one of the bouquets from the back seat. The two got out of the car and slowly walked up the hill, holding hands. Finally, they reached Colin Hart's grave. 

            Ephram handed Amy the bouquet. Amy opened her mouth to speak, but Ephram stopped her.

            "You don't need to explain this to me. I've never made you do it before." Ephram backed away.

            Amy nodded and kneeled down, setting the flowers on his headstone. As she lightly spoke to Colin, Ephram watched silently, remember how much he wanted to fly out to New York to visit his deceased mother.

            After a few minutes, Amy was finished. She wiped a single tear from her eye and approached Ephram.

            Ephram offered her his hand. "You okay?"

            Amy squeezed his hand and nodded. "I'm fine."

****


End file.
